Losing Milk

Oats! Oatmeal, cheerios, oatmeal cookies. Works like a charm--but be careful--cause sometimes you can bring a little too much milk in if you over do it :)

Hi, I'm a mom to a beautiful little girl who will be 1 in a couple of weeks. I don't know if you plan on breast-feeding directly at all but i know her sucking will stimulate the milk to come out more. My daughter is a preemie and was in the NICU for 5 days. the 2nd and 3rd day she couldn't feed so i had to pump. I didn't produce a lot then. When she managed to latch on to feed, i produced a lot more milk. I kept her on both the bottle and breast in case i needed to go back to work. She got used to both so it ended up working out well. When i did go back to work though my milk production dropped even though i was pumping so i supplemented with formula.

Hope this helps. Good luck with everything and congrats you area mommy second time around.

I have heard from several people that drinking a tea called Mother's Milk is helpful. You can get it at Whole Foods.

Congratulations on your baby and on deciding to try breastfeeding!

Lots of ways to increase supply:
First I want to say: La Leche League is a phenomenal resource! LLL has awesome leaders that are always help and I know they do (free) phone consults. I don’t see any meetings in your area, but a phone call can accomplish a lot. http://www.lllusa.org/web/SanAntonioTX.html

Pumping: you could try pumping after you nurse, as well as pumping while nursing. Put your baby on one side and the pump on the other side. This will take advantage of the letdown that happens for your baby and help you get more pumped out. Your baby is much more efficient at getting your milk out than a pump will ever be, so don't freak out if you don't get much out.
Also for milk supply:
- Nurse on demand. Don't try to schedule your baby. The more you nurse, the more milk you’ll have. Breast milk is a Demand and Supply type thing – baby Demands it so your body Supplies it.
-DON'T supplemment with formula unless necessary. Your local LLL leader or a Lactation Consultant can help you determine this.
-Water! Make sure you're getting at least 64oz daily and then drink to thirst after that. Anything less will not be enough!
-Traditional Medicinal makes a "Mother's Milk" herbal tea - it's really great for boosting supply. You have to drink '3 cups' or more a day. Since I'm not a tea drinker, I made a half-gallon pitcher of it and drank it cold with a little xylitol/sugar in it. It’s not the most wonderful tasting tea, but I’ve had teas that are much more bitter than this one!
- Blessed Thistle and Fenugreek work wonders for a lot of mamas. When it comes to Fenugreek, you know you’re getting enough when your body fluids smell like maple syrup. Fennel, alfalfa and chamomile can also help – but those have gotten more mixed reviews among my friends.
-Stay close to your babe. Wear her. Do you have a sling? If not, I would recommend getting one from somewhere. You can find them on e-bay for about $30+shipping. My recommendation would be for a fan-tail style so that you can use the same sling as your baby gets older/bigger. Wherever you get yours from (craigslist.com, e-bay, me), if you want help figuring out how to wear your baby, there are videos online to show you how other moms do it.
My personal opinion - I recommend against the bjourns - they put most/all of the baby's weight on the crotch/groin area and spread little baby hips unnaturally, both of which can cause damage.
-Co-sleep if it's safe for you to do so - you can nurse him more, thus increasing your supply. It is safe to co-sleep with your baby unless you are very overweight, smoke or have consumed much alcohol. Even if it’s just naps on the weekends…the closer, the more often, the better.
. -All the 'staying close' you can do will help your body hormonally to produce more milk.
- There are certain stretches and pressure points that you can do before nursing/pumping to aid the let-down reflex.
1.) Roll your shoulders around to stimulate between your shoulder blades and spine. 2.) Cross your arms at/near the wrists and, using your knuckles, rub your chest. 3.) Take 3 deep, cleansing breaths. Remember, you will be able to nurse/pump more if you are relaxed.
Something I think my working mom friends would suggest: When arriving home on Friday, change into a button up shirt and sling/wear your baby skin-to-skin. Your body will respond to this closeness by increasing certain hormones that aid milk supply. Wear your baby as much as you can the whole weekend (and weeknights, too if you can). The more you can be skin-to-skin (or close to it), the better.

I’ve also heard that certain beers are handy for increasing supply, but I don’t know anyone with personal experience with this. I don't know how much of it is chemical, and how much of it may be the relaxing effect alcohol invariably has :-)

Also, kellymom.com has some good articles and helpful advice
http://www.kellymom.com/bf/supply/index.html

I know this was long, but I hope that you find some of it helpful!

K., mama to
Catherine, 4.5y
Samuel, 17m

S.,

I am breastfeeding my 8.5 month old and working full time and have struggled with milk production on and off the entire time. What works for me (usually) is watching what I eat to make sure I am getting enough calories and eating a balanced diet. I drink at least 100 ounces of water a day. I eat lots of oatmeal and make sure to get milk myself. Also, I always always pump first thing in the morning (after the boy has his fill). It is not much fun on Saturday mornings to get up to feed him at 6:30 and then have to pump afterwards, but adding that morning pumping (to empty my breasts after a night's sleep) has really increased my overall production. Of course, I see that your baby is only 3 weeks old so you are probably not yet getting a night of rest, but I still think it is worth it.

good luck!

The only way I know of to stimulate milk production is to pump about 5 to 10 min longer on each breast than you actually get milk. That is how babies let your body know you need to produce more for them. they suck longer than there is milk hoping more will come out. After 5 or 10 min, they realize there isn't anymore and they stop. Your body however has gotten the message and begins the process of making more.

The other thing is to make sure you are getting enough extra calories in your diet. Breastfeeding burns a lot of calories and you need a lot extra to make up the difference. If your caloric intake is low, then your milk production will slow down as well..

If you are concerned about your caloric intake and just aren't sure how much extra you need, then call your local La Leche league... http://www.llli.org//Web/Texas.html (the link shows you the La Leche Leagues in Texas - they all have websites as well) they are likely to have a nutritionist available or at least know the answer.

But I want to commend you on your choice to make the attempt and tell you that if it doesn't work out for you regardless of the reason, you should not feel guilty in any way. Do not let anyone tell you, that your choice to stop (should you make that choice) is wrong or bad, or anything to that nature. Breastfeeding is a personal choice and no one has the right to tell you that YOUR choice is right or wrong!

Good Luck... ;-)

Special vitamins wouldn't help anyway. The only way to maintain milk production is to actually nurse. A pump (even a really really good pump) cannot immitate a nursing baby acurately enough to sustain your milk production all by itself. You need to nurse and only pump when you're away from the baby. Even doing that can make it very difficult to maintain production. Personally I dried up when my daughter was 4 months old b/c I went back to work 3 days a week and even that amount of pumping was too much to maintain what had been a rather copious output until then. But it's not too late to start if you still want to breastfeed... Good luck!

Try to drink natural tea that`s Healthy nursing tea...It worked incredibly with me.;)

Water, water, water! You have to stay hydrated to keep producing milk since it takes so much out of you.

Also, oatmeal is a natural remedy to boost supply, so try eating a bowl for breakfast and see if it helps!

My son was 9 lbs 1 oz when he was born. When he got hungery he was hungery. I tryed for six weeks and never got more than a half ounce. My son was up to three by then. Try calling your local Leleche Legue ( spelled horribly wrong ). I was able to use a better pump. I was told that "even flow" pump is not so good on your breasts. Also insted of pumping get him to nurse. I have talked to alot of women that said their brest milk either never came in or produced very little. I am starting to wonder if its something in our water! Also I was told dont eat pepermint but eat as much as I could stand of oatmeal because that is something that would help make milk. You mentioned money was tight try looking into a WIC program. My husband made slightly too much money for us to get on it. But it would have helped alot money is tight for us too. Call the hospital if you cant find the leleche legue in your area. Our hospital offerd breast feeding classes. Very warm water over your breasts for 10 min. Try standing in the shower. Massage them. Relax and think about your breat milk flowing out of them. Get rest if your too tired its not going to work. Plenty of water. I was told that breast feeding was an emotional thing and I couldn't connect the two. Good luck and congrats on your little one.

Hi Stephanie, did it ever occur to you that it might be the bra that is impeding the flow of your milk? If you are or have been wearing padded or underwire bras they can cause "a back up" of the flow of fluids(milk) in the breast.

check out the custom fitted bras at www.jeunique.com when you are ready to be fitted I will gladly fit you. Also check out the mother milking facility(not sure that this is the correct name) at Baptist at StoneOak. ~~~~A.

All I could tell you is nurse as frequently as you can, I too work in retail so I go hours without being able to breastfeed and I dont have a pump.. My husband uses formula at home while I am away. I work in guest services at Target and can usually get away for 15 mins to hand express in the bathroom... before I would just wait till I got home then noticed my supply had started to decrease dramatically.. no demand then no supply ya know? Also i've noticed that hot showers seem boost my supply a lot.. hope this helps some!

The thing that my Dr. told me was to pump or breastfeed more often and brestfeed more thatn put if you can...our bodies have a way of producing more when our kiddos breatfeed more often. If it still slows after two weeks of less time between feedings your body just may be done with breastfeeding.

Hi S., my suggestion is to drink a lot of water and eat good (your 3 meals at least), also let your baby breastfeed directly, babies have better suction than any machine you can have, the first 6 weeks are very important, since is when the production of milk is establish. I am still breastfeeding my baby boy is 5 months and 3 weeks.

Do not quit, hang in there,breastmilk is very good for your baby. Take care.

I had a similar experience with my twins when I went to the pump. Even though it was easier for me to pump and let others help with the bottle feedings, I eventually just dried up without actual breastfeeding. My ob/gyn is a good friend and she said the pump just cannot match the baby for breast stimulation and sucking action. I went to half and half with formula and now they are 100% formula fed and are growing and developing beautifully. They are almost 8 months and are a handful. Don't beat yourself up if you end up on formula, your daughter got the great initial benefits of your milk. People have no idea what your personal experience is like and should keep thier opinions to themselves!!!

Make sure you are drinking plenty of water. The production is typically based on need. The more often you pump, the more milk is needed, the more you should produce. Good Luck.

In my experience, your body knows when it is not actually the baby nursing and, unfortunately, that slows down the milk production, and eventually it will dry up. The best way to produce more is to have your baby nurse more -- even the non-nutritional sucking will cause you to produce more. Also drinking tons of water. You could try leaving the pumps on longer -- after the milk stops -- and maybe it will have the same effect of the baby needing more.
I tried to continue producing milk by pumping after I weaned my son because he is allergic to cow's milk but I dried up within two weeks of him not nursing.
Also, don't worry about what anyone else thinks about your decision!
Good luck - hope this helps

Are you staying well hydrated? Coffee, tea, colas are diuretics so even if you are drinking plenty of those, you may not be getting enough fluids. Good for you for trying and not stressing if it doesn't work out. Stress is worst on you and no good for baby either. My grandmother used to tell me, "Whatever you are doing is the best you can do and that is all an angel can do."
re: potty training and newborn--my older child loved her new baby brother but would hide and poop under his crib. She loved him, but he sure messed up her reign of being an only child. haha It gets better, sometimes it just takes a while.

fenugeek is at sun harvest (1604 and 281), on sale. i got some this past tuesday. it was a little over $6.00 for 180 caps. No bad!

There really aren't any special vitamins for milk production, that I know of. I just took prenatal vitamins when I was nursing. You probably aren't drinking enough water, you need to double your water intake, not Cokes & such, but water, decaf-tea, etc. Although I've heard some drink beer to increase milk, it does go through to the baby, so I don't think that's a good idea. As for pumping at 3 weeks, that is a problem. It's easier to drink from a bottle, so most babies get lazy quickly. You should only let her nurse, no bottles, if you pump, do so after she nurses & freeze it for when you go back to work. Good luck & God Bless!

P.S. - 2 is pretty young for potty training boys! Esp with the new baby getting all your attention. Don't push him too much, he'll get it!

If you can, I would recommend the tea called Nursing Mom by the Yogi tea brand or Mother's milk...if that is out of you budget you can also use Anise and make a tea out of it. Like one tsp of anise seed to 1 cup water you can add honey to sweeten if you'd like ..that's worked fine for me and it's not at all bitter! Hope this helps!

Try nursing your daughter directly. The pumps are great but sometimes your body is triggerd by the cry of your daughter and if you are used to pumping that may not occur. Also make sure you stay on a schedule when you pump. Most babies eat about every 2 hours so you need to pump every 2 hours. The further in between the less milk your body will produce. If you get to a point where you aren't producing enough you can use it to mix with cereal or sometimes even formula to help it go further and your daughter still get the benefits from it. When I breastfed I was told that at a certain point my body may just quit producing and when that would happen is different for everyone. My son was about 5 months old when I quit producing but it can be sooner or in some cases much later. Good Luck

It is perfectly normal to "even out" milk production after the first few weeks. You won't have that really full feeling in your breasts when your body gets used to the idea of breastfeeding, and stops over producing. Have you tried feeding her from the breast during the night and when you would be home from work, and only giving her the bottle when you would be at work? It really isn't easier to pump and give the milk in the bottle. If she is gaining normally and sleeping between feedings, she is getting enough. By all means, talk to your pediatrician. I found it saved me time and money to breastfeed, as well as the other benefits I'm sure you know.

Don't get down yet! It takes at least a month to get into the groove of things, pumping or not.

A pump is not as effective as a baby so you have to pump a lot more to produce the same amount. You need to build up your supply so you need to be pumping as often as possible, even at night. Don't go any longer then a couple of hours. It's a pain in the butt but if that's how you want to do it, that's what you got to do. Are you using an electric or manual pump? With an electric double pump, you'll be able to get more milk with a shorter amount of time.

Good luck!

S.,
Check out this website:
http://www.oil-testimonials.com/essential-oils/879
Go to search and type in your question. You will find ways to increase your milk supply. Remember, the oils go a very long way. You only need a few drops...
If you have any questions or would like to order any of the products you see on the site contact me at: www.youngliving.org/sherylhawkinson

Rest, my dear, rest! When you don't get enough rest, you don't make enough milk. Forget the house, prayerfully, you may have an N-Law who can help with that. Make soup and sandwiches and get out of the kitchen. sleep when your baby sleeps, rest when the baby rest, lay in bed and feed the baby as often as she desires for a while. Your milk should increase.

Drink, lots of water this will help.
Good luck

Hi, Congratulations for breastfeeding I loved it! I was older with my last child and my milk supply was decreased quite a bit so a friend suggested fenugreek and mother's milk tea both of which I purchased at a health foods store. I used them for about a month and they worked great! Also lot's of water and fluids for you! Good Luck!

I've Heard Fenugreek seed. It is not expensive. you can buy it at any vitamin and nutrition store (not walmart or HEB) it sells for about $6 a bottle of maybe 100. It's also good for pulling toxins and other imbeded junk from the colon. I buy it at the vitamin shoppe at the rim. (if you are in san antonio) also if you are dieting or losing weight fast it will stop your milk production. Good luck

Pumping only will not make as much milk as actually nursing. You should nurse your baby when you can and pump twice a day in-between feedings to get some milk put up in the freezer.

Just something to think about...
Formula is a LOT more expensive than a $10 bottle of vitamins that will help you to produce more on your own...

You can also try oatmeal cookies because oatmeal is said to increase supply.

Good luck!

i've always heard that the first few weeks of breast milk where the most important,so i would as you your self said stress over it ,you might just want to go ahead and get started on a formula before you return to work so the baby will be use to it
L.

make sure you are well rested (easier said than done), and relaxed when you try to nurse or pump. if you are stressed or tense, it will affect your milk supply. also, make sure you drink plenty of fluids, it doens't have to be water, but not too much caffeine. 1 more thing, make sure you are taking calcium. even if you stop pumping, your bones and teeth need extra calcium. don't learn the hard way like i did. i've lost 4 teeth, they crumbled and fell out. what was left had to be removed by an oral surgeon. buying calcium tablets would've been much cheaper.

S.,

Sorry that this is a long post, but I had a big issue with my milk supply dropping once I started working. I didn't always get to pump at work and wham! after about 1 week, my supply was LOW! It was very hard for me and I want to help.

Lots of good council below. I actually got my supply back while using my pump, and didn't use any supplements/vitamins other than what I was already taking. I hope this is helpful.

Here is what I did, based on consulting a lactation expert and my pediatrician (some of which is a repeat of below):

1) Nurse baby directly when you can. The babies do get more milk than the pump will. Also, the skin-to-skin contact builds immunities for the baby and also helps you relax, which then produces more milk.

2) Make sure your baby is on one breast for 20 minutes before switching (this brings in the hind-milk which has the most nutrician).

3) Put the pump on the breast that doesn't feed the baby each time you nurse (it often wants to "let down" anyway when feeding).

4) Pump or feed for at least 20 minutes on each breast every 2 hours as this will get the milk back up.

5) Avoid caffeine as it dries up your fluids.

6) Drink LOTS of water and/or juice. Avoid juice cocktails which have lots of corn syrup and less hydration. Get the 100% juice (frozen or bottled).

7) Drink about 4-6 oz of beer while nursing/pumping along with the water. (I couldn't actually do this one as I HATE beer!!!) There won't be enough time for the alcohol to get into your milk, and it has vitamins, fluids, and relaxing effects. Yes, I was actually told this by the lactation expert!

Hope this helps. As I said, I got my supply back and have some milk stored up in the freezer too! Best of luck. If all else fails, just enjoy your baby. Breast is best, but formula is fine.

Much love,
M.

Just make sure you are drinking plenty of fluids and not dehydrated during this heat.

Eating oatmeal is a cheap way to increase your milk supply while pumping. Fenugreek is the vitamin supplement that helps, I got mine at Sun Harvest, and it wasn't expensive. Also, make sure and pump as often as you can, and especially don't miss your night pumps.

Kellymom.com was very helpful to me when I was pumping, just do a search for "pumping", there are lots of tips there.

Best of luck!

Eating lots of almonds worked for me, I read that somewhere, could be the extra nutrition, omega, or calories. I also drink a lot of water.

Stefani,
make sure that you are eating and drinking enough to produce enough milk for your baby and to keep your own body functioning. At least 10 glasses of liquid a day without caffeine and you need the extra 500 calories recommended. Lots of dairy, lean protein and whole grains are best.
Good luck

The other ladies have a lot of great advice. My baby was premature and my milk didn't come in until a week after he was born and when it did, my supply was very low. They gave him formula in the hospital so nipple confusion was also an obstacle for me. What worked for me was to pump every two hours for twenty minutes each time. I use the Medela Pump in Style which is pricey but is a real investment in saving time compared with hand held pumps. Then after a month, my milk supply increased and I was able to just pump every four hours. When I went back to work, I pumped in the morning, at my lunch time, and when I got home. I know pumping is BORING but if you are committed to it, it can work for you. I got a lot of help from my local Le Leche League. After you give birth, the hospital gives you all these rules about not driving or taking the baby out too soon but this is the most important time to get the advice and support from them. Now I have too much milk and contribute to the Austin Milk Bank!

Milk production is all about supply and demand. The more you nurse, the more milk your body amazingly makes. Keep nursing frequently (at least ever 2 hours), and make sure that your baby is latched on deeply (which also impacts milk production). Your milk has amazing immnunity for your baby, and every time you nurse you are building brain tissue in your baby!

Perhaps you can also borrow a breast pump to increase your production, and pump after you nurse 2-3 times a day after you nurse. That should help too.

It is worth the effort, hang in there, you can do it!

Well the cost of doing specail vitamins is going to be less then you guys switching to formula unfortunately. I would put your child back on your breast until your milk production is back up. Pumping is not the same as having your child on the breast. Your body will produce more milk with your baby. You can also pump more. Start pumping every two hours for at least 1/2 an hour for like a week then the following week pump every three hours, and then the following week every four hours. This should help your milk production naturally. Drink lots of water! The more fluid your body has to turn into milk the better! I hope this helps.
M.-Mother of 4
Independent Pampered Chef Kitchen Consultant
Want to schedule your work around your life instead of the other way around? Contact me to find out how!
____@____.com

I commend you on trying to continue breastfeeding, while babies grow fine w/o being breastfed there is a correlation between healthier brain development and immune system when breastfed.

Get more milk...my doc told me that pumping does not stimulate as well as a baby. so while you are still at home have the baby nurse from you as much as possible, then pump in between. the more your breast is stimulated the more it will produce (ideally). Sometimes our bodies just cant keep up...i was only able to breastfeed until about 5 mths with both of my boys. make sure you are drinking lots of water and calories! Also, sometimes the little ones go through growth spurts and our milk needs to play catch up for a few days!

Good luck...keep with it as long as possible! :)

I used fenugreek. That helped and drink lots and lots of water. :-)

Apple juice and lots of it. The more fluids you drink the better. Also Mother's Milk tea (Traditional Medicinal). I got it at Kroger. Make sure that you are nursing/ pumping about every 2 hours during the day and every 4 hours during the night. I followed these things and my milk production doubled in 72 hours. I have also heard that Brewer's yeast works wonders.

I was told by a lactation consultant that only certain breast pumps stimulate milk production (I was not using the correct one). Upping calories and drinking more water helps but if you're still having issues a friend swears by Mothers Milk Tea, you can buy it at Target. (http://www.tealand.com/MothersMilk.asp)

Like another mom, when my 2 week old daughter ended up sick and in the hospital, I nearly lost my milk supply. I was advised to pump every 2 hours for 20 minutes and it came back!!! I have no milk supply issues now but it was so severe that they weren't sure I was going to be able to breastfeed. Our pediatrician also told me once that a beer a day helps alot (from the yeast, I think). Tons of water and rest. Great job on breastfeeding. Although, I was a formula fed baby, I have severe allergies and have been on shots for 6 years now. I can't blame the formula but I feel very strongly about nursing my babies for at least a year (I stopped with my son at 14 mos and I'm shooting for 18 mos with my 9 mo old daughter). Also, when she was so sick in the hospital, I sometimes wonder if something really bad could have happened to her if I hadn't been breastfeeding. (because her immune system was weakened). Good luck to you! Don't feel guilty if you eventually have to give it up but go as long as you can! Try for at least 6 months. When you go back to work, do what you have to do. Oh, one last thing....pumping is not nearly as efficient as nursing the baby. This is probably why your milk supply has lightened up. Go back to nursing exclusively (other than giving her/him a bottle a day to prevent nipple confusion). Try pumping every two hours a week. It is going to be such a major pain!!! ....but it works. You will get it back because your baby is still so young. At this point, your milk supply is so volatle. btw...my best friend is a lactation consultant and much of this advice has come from her (not just a bunch of old wives tales).